It was the first day of junior year, and as I waited in the safety of my homeroom class, praying that the kids would stop torturing me this year, a boy I didn’t recognize entered the classroom quietly and headed for the seat directly next to me.
“Hi, I’m Emma, but you really don’t want to talk to me, nobody likes me. If they see us talking, they will be mean to you” I whispered.
“Emma, don’t say that, I do want to talk to you. I don’t care what other people think. I really like you and I think you are a sweet, beautiful girl. I really want to get to know you.”
“Jay that’s nice of you to say, but I’m ugly and I’m really not worth your time.”
“You can`t think that Emma, you`re amazing. Even though I just met you, I already love you. I am going to prove to you how special you are, even if it’s the last thing I do.”
From that moment on, Jay became my best friend, my guardian angel. The kids in school still teased me for a while, but Jay taught me not to care. When they would laugh at us and point and push us, Jay would just laugh and say,
“Emma, forget about them, they`re just losers. I love you, and that’s all that matters.”
I began to believe Jay, and I saw myself in a different way. After a while, I started to walk with a bounce in my step, and I smiled in school. I even started to make new friends, all thanks to Jay.
We were in love and nothing brought me down anymore. Eventually, people at school stopped teasing me. Things were great; until the day Jay told me he had cancer. I couldn`t believe what I was hearing, I just started sobbing into him taking in his smell and everything I loved about him.
“Don`t cry Emma, please stop. This doesn’t change anything, I love you and I think you are amazing. I`m not letting this stop me and neither should you. Promise me one thing Emma, no matter what happens to me, you will always remember that you are special and you deserve to be happy.”
“Jay, I promise,” I reluctantly agreed. At that moment all I wanted was for him to get better, but his biggest worry was me.
The day before school ended for Christmas break, Jay`s mother called me and told me that Jay was in the hospital, and I needed to get there immediately. I rushed to the hospital and found Jay laying on a bed, eyes sunken into his face, and skin a pale shade of yellow.
In a whisper, Jay said, “Emma, I’m sorry, but I’m in so much pain. Just remember your promise okay.”
With those words, the monitors in Jays room started screeching, and Jays chest stopped rising and falling.
“Jay, I promise” I whispered.